Aftermath
by DeadlyDevotion
Summary: Syaoran is trapped in the Dreamworld after the events of chapter 179. There he meets Watanuki and another chance to change for the future. Spoiler heavy.


Tears gushed past his eyes as Syaoran struggled to breathe in his pool of blood. His body was paralyzed and he could feel his pulse fading with every breath. Crying wasn't gaining him time and struggling in his deathbed of black and red was only decreasing his life in the watery grave.

It was over, wasn't it….? That person, Kamui, killed him and there was nothing more he could do….

But he couldn't let it end! Not when he promised Sakura! He had to find her feathers! He couldn't die, not now, not--

"--Ever." The voice agreed. Syaoran stiffened as the hand around his throat gave a painful squeeze. That mirror image of his face hovered above him "You will die, Syaoran."

"N-no!"

"You're weak." the boy told him again, leaning close. Syaoran closed his eyes and hissed in pain as the boy's body pressed along his. "This body will be useless unless you let me take care of this now. Let go."

"W-what?"

"I can defeat him," he whispered against his lips "I can defeat everyone. We have to live, Syaoran. No matter what"

"….We?" he repeated in confusion. Everything was going black. Even the pain from his neck and his body and his wound were no longer distinguishable. It was one huge pain that was quickly killing him. But despite that all he could think about was Sakura. There wasn't much time. He was going to die because of this pain...but if he let this boy do as he wished….

Syaoran shivered as a tongue ran along his throat "A-And Sakura?"

The boy pulled back with an emotionless look.

"Sakura." Syaoran said more firmly, pulling at the boy's shirt with clenched teeth "You have to protect Sakura!" When the boy didn't even blink Syaoran pulled the boy back down and shouted into his face, face red with desperation "You can have my body--I don't care! Just please--I'm begging you! Protect Sakura!"

His hand was moving. His body was rising. His eyes were opening. He was rushing at Kamui….

"And Sakura?" Syaoran demanded of the boy who looked like him.

_"Don't touch her" _Syaoran heard the boy tell Kamui.

Syaoran saw hazy images he could do nothing about. But he was depressed to realize he didn't care. Not about the blood or the boy or Fay or Kurogane. Not about his body or his soul or his inability to breathe. As long as Sakura was safe….as long as she was alive then nothing else mattered….

"Forgive me…." Syaoran whispered in misery.

Syaoran closed his eyes and let himself fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

"A dream?" Watanuki looked around himself and hesitated a bit before starting to walk in the darkness "There's nothing here!" he whispered. He whole place was black! Even in Sakura-chan's dream world there had been petals. Who's soul would want such a dream? Who would choose to live in darkness out of their desire? And why would--

CRACK.

Watanuki jumped a bit in surprise. It sounded like breaking glass. Almost like--

"Glasses!" Watanuki stooped down and scooped up his broken glasses with an angry pout "How did they get here...?"

The faint sound of footsteps made him look up again and Watanuki smiled when he finally saw someone walking in the distance "...or something" he reminded himself as he dropped the broken glass and followed. When he got closer he saw that it was definitely in the shape of a human. The boy was wearing a black outfit of an almost Chinese fashion and in his hand he held a sword, letting the blade skim the black ground as he stumbled.

"H-hold on!" Watanuki reached his hand out "Are you the person who made this dream?!"

On seeing Watanuki following him, the boy stopped. For a long time he watched Watanuki with an unfocused stare before his sword suddenly struck the ground. And not a second later his body fell with it.

"Are you alright?!" Watanuki quickly knelt beside him and took his shoulder, helping him to sit up "Is there anything I can--" the boy raised his mismatched eyes. Watanuki's face lit up "Syaoran-kun!"

Syaoran stared back with a pained looked "…how do you know that name?"

"We met--….well," Watanuki smiled, rubbing the back of his head "when you came to Yuuko-san's shop with Sakura-chan that one time…I was the one who brought out the Mokonas….maybe you don't remember since you were really concerned with Sakura-chan then and…Oh! That's right!" He leaned forward, smiling "Did you met up with her and the other Syaoran-kun yet?"

Syaoran's eyes became shaded with his bangs "You've met her…in this place?"

"Huh? Oh" He smiled "Yes. We got to talk for a bit. She told me a little about what has happened " his smile saddened "…she really was trying her best."

"…Sakura always tries her best." he replied vacantly.

"But why are you here now?" Watanuki looked around everywhere, using his hand as a visor "And why is there only black? I'm sure if you stay here too long Sakura-chan will begin to worry about you, Syaoran-kun."

After staring at Watanuki with a heartbreaking expression Syaoran's face broke into one of intense pain and he abruptly buried his face in his arms. Watanuki jumped a little and shifted back but when he saw the younger boy was shaking with tears he quickly came closer and put a hand on his shoulder "Syaoran-kun…?"

"…I have to find her," he heard in broken speech and heavy breathing "no matter what I have to find her…!"

"Sakura-chan…" he breathed "…something happened?"

When Syaoran raised his face it was covered in tears. He feverishly wiped them away and gently took Watanuki's hand from his shoulder "I have to get out of here."

"What do you mean?" He began to rise too.

"I don't know how to leave," Watanuki watched as Syaoran's shaking hand fumbled a couple of times for his sword before he was able to grasp it "--but I have to find her. Please tell me. How do you leave this world?"

The mix of seriousness and misery was a shock in itself. The worst part was that Watanuki didn't have an answer "I don't know. I don't even know why I was pulled here," Syaoran's teeth pressed together in frustration "but coming here must be for a reason" he added quickly with a smile.

Syaoran didn't return the smile. Watanuki had never seen this Syaoran smile, he realized. Sakura-chan wouldn't want him to be so sad, he thought as he looked over Syaoran's frown. He tilted his head a bit "How did you get here…? Maybe you can get out the same way."

"With the power to cross dimensions." he replied softly.

"From Yuuko-san?"

His brown eye became dark and empty. "No."

Watanuki watched Syaoran closely in the silence before asking "But if this is a dream world shouldn't you be able to make the scenery as you wish?"

He looked up for the first time with something close to curiosity. "…what do you mean?"

"It's just like a dream, right?" he smiled "Sakura-chan sometimes sat in a tree in the dream we shared."

Syaoran closed his eyes with another pained look and Watanuki was surprised to see Yuuko's rainy backyard slowly overtaking the black. What was more amazing was that right behind Syaoran-kun stood Yuuko in the same outfit she wore when Syaoran came the first time.

Syaoran slowly looked over his shoulder at the rainy scene.

Watanuki looked over his shoulder too. His eyes widened in shock.

"It...it can't be!"


End file.
